Networks for Prosperity: Connecting development knowledge beyond 2015 (UNIDO)http://www.unido.org/fileadmin/user_media/News/2011/UN%20Report%20LowRes.pdfThe report illustrates the importance of network governance in the context of economic globalization, aid and development. It argues that this is of particular relevance in the context of the current debate on the establishment of a new set of global development goals by 2015. The updated 2012 Connectedness Index, covering 132 countries, shows that many emerging economies – such as Chile, Costa Rica, South Africa and Viet Nam – have systematically improved their connectedness.

Pacific Environment and Climate Change Outlook (UNEP / SPREP)http://www.unep.org/pdf/PEECO.pdfIsland communities in the Pacific Ocean are facing unprecedented challenges to their economies and environment from the impacts of climate change. Sea level rise, tropical cyclones, floods and drought, combined with pressures from unsustainable fishing practices and coastal development, and consumption and production trends, are rendering the livelihoods of some 10 million people increasingly vulnerable.

Policy Implications of Warming Permafrost (UNEP)http://www.unep.org/pdf/permafrost.pdfPermafrost covering almost a quarter of the northern hemisphere contains 1,700 gigatonnes of carbon, twice that currently in the atmosphere, and could significantly amplify global warming should thawing accelerate as expected. Warming permafrost can also radically change ecosystems and cause costly infrastructural damage due to increasingly unstable ground.

UNAIDS World AIDS Day Report 2012 "Results 2012"http://www.unaids.org/en/resources/campaigns/20121120_globalreport2012/There were more than 700 000 fewer new HIV infections globally in 2011 than in 2001. Africa has cut AIDS-related deaths by one third in the past six years. Treatment has not yet reached 7 million people. We have three years to eliminate all new HIV infections among children.

Women out loud: How women living with HIV will help the world end AIDS (UNAIDS)http://www.unaids.org/en/media/unaids/contentassets/documents/unaidspublication/2012/20121211_Women_Out_Loud_en.pdfThe report explores the impact of HIV on women and the instrumental role women living with the virus are playing to end AIDS. It includes the latest data and commentary from some of the leading advocates on women and HIV. In this new report UNAIDS explores the impact of HIV on women and the instrumental role women living with the virus are playing to end AIDS. It includes the latest data and commentary from some of the leading advocates on women and HIV. The report includes the voices of some 30 women living with HIV who have given their personal insights into how the epidemic is affecting women and on how women are actively working to reduce the spread and impact of AIDS.

Report of the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office on Human Rights Violations Perpetrated by Armed Groups during Attacks on Villages in Ufamandu I and Ii, Nyamaboko I and Ii And Kibabi Groupements, Masisi Territory, North Kivu Province, between April and September 2012http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Countries/ZR/UNJHRO_HRVMasisi_en.pdfA UN investigation into the human rights situation in southern Masisi territory in the North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has revealed that at least 264 civilians, including 83 children, were arbitrarily executed by armed groups in more than 75 attacks on villages between April and September this year. The UN Joint Human Rights Office in the DR Congo (UNJHRO) had received reports of human rights violations during attacks of ethnic character, part of a conflict with economic and political root causes, targeting mainly civilians in North and South Kivu since the beginning of the year. The attacks intensified from April 2012 in southern Masisi. The UNJHRO led six investigations into these allegations and interviewed more than 160 witnesses as well as local authorities, civil society members, the Congolese national police (PNC) and heath care workers. The investigators uncovered mass killings, mass forced displacement and large scale looting and destruction of private property. The UNJHRO also confirmed four cases of sexual violence involving the rape of 12 women. The report makes a series of recommendations, including a call for Congolese security forces, with the support of the international community, to restore security in southern Masisi and ensure the protection of civilians. Congolese authorities are also urged to take into account the violations detailed in the report and the responsibility of the alleged perpetrators when considering Security Sector Reform (SSR) measures and verify the human rights records of any members of armed groups seeking integration into the national army.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights - Original Drafting Materials from UNOG Archiveshttp://libraryresources.unog.ch/content.php?pid=280454&sid=2310235#11996700On the occasion of Human Rights Day (10 December), the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG) Archives have completed a digitization project that provides online access to 35 files containing several thousand pages of original and unique materials related to the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This material includes drafts of the Declaration, comments from governments, organizations and the general public, and material related to the implementation of the Declaration. Original documents from René Cassin and Eleonor Roosevelt are included in these invaluable records.

Humanitarian Affairs

Global Appeal 2013 Update (UNHCR)http://www.unhcr.org/ga13/index.xmlIn 2012 we witnessed a series of refugee crises. More than 700,000 people fled across borders in the first nine months of 2012. This has placed huge demands on the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) resources. The report contains valuable reference material for journalists interested in covering refugee and displaced person issues.

Overview of the 2013 Consolidated Appeals and comparable humanitarian action plans (OCHA)http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/CAP_2013_Overview_of_2013_CA.pdfHumanitarian action in 2013 aims to deliver aid to at least 51 million people in 16 countries who desperately need life-saving assistance. Hundreds of international aid organisations and their counterparts in the affected countries have come together to share and analyse information on humanitarian needs, to make a unified strategic response plan, and to organise implementation so as to deliver aid as effectively as possible to those most in need. Delivering emergency aid is a vital contribution of the international humanitarian community in situations where national government capacity is stretched.

Risk Knowledge Fundamentals: Guidelines and Lessons for Establishing and Institutionalizing Disaster Loss Databases (UNDP)http://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/library/crisis%20prevention/disaster/asia_pacific/Guidelines%20and%20Lessons%20for%20Estabilishing%20and%20Institutionalizing%20Disaster%20Loss%20Databases.pdf This report documents the experiences of the UNDP Regional Programme on Capacity Building for Sustainable Recovery and Risk Reduction (RP) in implementing disaster loss databases using the DesInventar methodology. The Regional Programme has been established in response to the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004, and is managed by the UNDP Regional Centre in Bangkok’s Crisis Prevention and Recovery Team. DesInventar is based on a relational database structure and a disciplined expert assisted structure for data collection and classification that permits the homogeneous capture, analysis and graphic representation of information on disaster occurrences and losses. The findings from this review of database implementation concludes that disaster loss databases with validated data and inventories are essential for identifying and tracking patterns of disaster risk, and that they are a fundamental requirement for implementing efficient and effective DRR policies and programmes.

Social Media

The Brussels based United Nations Regional Information Centre for Western Europe - UNRIC provides information on UN activities to the countries of the region. It also provides liaison with institutions of the European Union in the field of information. Its outreach activities extend to all segments of society and joint campaigns, projects and events are organized with partners including the EU, governments, the media, NGOs, schools and local authorities.